The memorial service honoring four Houston
fire fighters who died in the line of duty was yesterday. Matthew Renaud, Robert Bebee, Robert Garner,
and Ann Sullivan. I was among the
privileged ones who had the opportunity to attend and represent Galveston Fire
and Rescue, along with fire fighters Andy Jeffries, J.R. Fearington, Rudy
Perales, Jimmy Yancey, and Joe Eureste. Galveston’s
honor guard was already involved. They
were standing guard at the various funeral homes so the Houston honor guard
could attend the ceremony. Others were
working shifts in Houston so those fire fighters could attend as well.
My alarm went off at 3 a.m. I arrived at the station by 4 to leave at
4:15. When I got to station 1 the flag
was at half-mast. Guys started arriving
both for shift and for the ride to Houston.
I found out I wasn’t the only one scrambling for a full uniform. They all wanted to make sure they looked
sharp. There was no AC in the ladder
truck we took. It had recently been returned
from servicing for other problems, so I guess it wasn’t quite finished. Riding with the window down helped, though.
We gathered with other vehicles from the south
part of the state at the Almeda Mall staging area. We pulled in behind the Bay City VFD ladder
truck and joined the many others already there as we waited for the call to
leave for Reliant Stadium. I introduced
myself to the Bay City folks and mentioned Hamilton’s Bakery (Chris’
grandparents used to own and operate it, and Chris worked many hours there
growing up). The old guy with them
remembered going there all the time for their “great donuts.” There were some news trucks there, and even a
helicopter or two overhead. The Patriot
Guard (I think) even provided some motorcycle escorts for us. At 5:50 a.m. we pulled out of the parking
lot. As we left a lady holding an
American flag and a toy ambulance waved at us.
An old guy who might have been homeless stood at attention and saluted. All the trucks ran with lights on but no
sirens. Not fast, but impressive. We passed a few places with flags at half-mast.
When we arrived at Reliant Stadium there
were news trucks and helicopters everywhere, as well as people everywhere taking
tons of pictures. Flags lined the
streets around the stadium. We waited
where we parked for some word of what to do next, but it was a long time
coming. The Texans left the stadium in
practice gear to make way for us. I
recognized JJ Watts when he waved to us.
And it was hot. And humid. And the wind was very still. And the smell of diesel was almost
overpowering. One of the guys walked
down to a Subway and got us all a breakfast sandwich. It was just what I for one needed. Thanks, J.R.
We were but one in a host of ladder trucks, pumpers, rescue trucks,
pickups, ambulances. All wearing
different uniforms but committed to the same purpose.
We finally located the fire fighters
gathering for the procession into the stadium.
We ended up walking completely around the stadium in our search. And we were not alone. Wave after wave joined the procession. We kept having to move further and further
back so they could make rows of 8. Many
guys were in dress full uniforms with coat and all. Did I mention that it was hot? Stadium support people started passing out
bottles of water and napkins to mop up sweat.
One group was jokingly auctioning off pieces of cardboard to use for
fans.
Slowly, the procession began moving
forward. We were too far back to see the
drum and bagpipe corps that took the lead, but there was a color guard not far
in front of us, so we keyed on them and fell in step. Some groups did not seem to be taking the
whole thing very seriously. They laughed
and talked and left the line to take pictures.
It felt like the Olympics closing ceremonies when the athletes walk into
the stadium waving and taking pictures of each other. For the most part, though, the fire fighters
remained solemn as marched the mile or so around Reliant Stadium to the
entrance. One stretch of the approach
took us onto the feeder road of the 610 Loop.
Traffic was moving slowly.
Several cars honked in appreciation.
Others simply pulled to the side of the road and took pictures or made
videos with cell phones of the massive march.
There was a jet flyover. Don’t
know if it was planned or not, but it sure felt like it.
People lined Kirby Street, waving, taking
pictures or standing quietly. I heard
more than a few subdued cries of “thank you.”
Children were there, wide-eyed at the sight. Fire fighters who had not joined in the march
stood at attention. Military service men
saluted. And as we approached the line
of fire department vehicles I began to scribble the names of the many places
represented, well over one hundred different departments and support
organizations. I feel compelled to list
the names here, a roll call of sorts. I
personally saw vehicles from these places, or I saw the names on the arm
patches of the people I marched with. I
included three from a recognition made from the podium. I am certain there were more.
Aldine Friendswood New Waverly VFD
Alvin Fulshear PasadenaAransas Pass Gallatin Pearland
Atascocita Galveston Pecan Grove
Austin Galveston County Pine Prairie VFD
Bacliff Grapevine Ponderosa
Baton Rouge, LA Hardin Porter
Baytown Hempstead Richmond
Beaumont Highlands Rockport
Brazoria County Huffman Rose Hill
Bryan Humble Rosenberg
California Huntsville San Antonio
Montreal,Canada Ingleside Santa Fe
Caney Creek Ivanhoe Seabrook
Celina Jersey Village Sheldon
Champions Kemah Sour Lake
Cincinatti, OH Killeen Southeast VFD
Cleveland Klein South Houston
Clute Lake Conroe S. Montgomery County
College of the Mainland Lake Jackson Southside Place
Columbus LaPorte Spring
Coppell League City Stafford
Copperas Cove Liberty Sugarland
Corpus Christi Little York Sweeney
County Road VFD Llano County Texas City
Cove County Lyondell Tomball
Crosby VFD Manchaca Travis County
Cut – n – Shoot Manvel Valero Refinery
Cy Creek Missouri City Waller
Cy Fair Mont Belvieu Webster
Dallas Mount Pleasant West VFD
Dayton Nashville, TN Westfield
Deer Park Nassau Bay Westlake
Dickinson VFD Needville VFD West University
Dow Chemical Oyster Creek Needham Whitehall
Eastex New Mexico Willowfork
Forest Bend New Orleans, LA Winnie-Stowell
Fort Bend New York City Woodlands
The march itself was a sight to behold, but
to actually be a part of it was more than humbling. The one event that struck me emotionally,
however, was not one that I heard mentioned anywhere else. Perhaps it was significant only to me, and
that’s OK. As we walked past the lines
of fire department vehicles, the fire fighters assigned to those vehicles stood
at attention. And then we passed the
vehicle with the distinctive markings of … West, Texas. And next to the vehicle stood two volunteer
fire fighters at attention and in full salute.
Their department – their town – is not yet recovered from their own
tragedy, yet there they were, honoring others.
They, perhaps more than any of us, understood.
The procession proceeded on, under the
ladder trucks flying the American flag, then under two more holding up a Texas
flag, and finally into the arena, itself.
Half of the stadium had been appropriated for the service, with an
enormous American flag providing the backdrop.
Two video screens made it possible to see close-ups of the
speakers. On the just in front of the speaker
stand were rows of chairs. The front few
rows were reserved for family, but the remaining seats were filled with a sea
of blue shirts, some of the Houston fire fighting force. The rest of the Houston team was seated in
the stands just behind them, a collection of some four thousand men and women
who were also family to the four who had died.
As we made our way with the rest of the marchers into our seats, we
located Chief Wisko, who had arrived later because of a meeting. We found, or were found by, Paul Santucci
from Galveston, who joined us and miraculously found a bagful of soft drinks. Thanks, Paul.
The ceremony began with a prayer by
Cardinal DiNardo after a mass salute welcomed the families of the fire fighters
as well as two of those who were injured.
One arrived in a wheelchair and the other in a hospital stretcher. Word was that he insisted on being there even
though he has not been released from the hospital. The national anthem brought another mass
salute. The announcement of thanks for
those fire fighters who were working stations so Houston guys could attend brought
a round of applause. The Brentwood
Baptist Church choir and the Houston symphony provided musical interludes to
the speeches. Governor Rick Perry led
off with a call to continue prayers for Captain Dowling who is still in
critical condition. Houston mayor Anise
Parker spoke next, and did some eulogizing about each of the honorees. I have to confess that at this point my early
rising combined with the heat during the procession began to take its
toll. I dozed off. My notepad hitting the floor woke me, though,
and I managed to stay alert the rest of the time (at least until the ride home
in that hot truck).
Probably the most talked-about of the
speeches came from Uncle Tony. One of the
things I have worked hard to develop over my years in ministry is the ability
to extract something positive and unifying from every statement shared. That ability was certainly tested when Uncle
Tony spoke. His message was long and
convoluted, punctuated by several expressions of deep emotion. It was difficult to follow him from one point
to the next, but I think in the long run his message could be summed up this
way. To the fire fighters he shared that
what they could do for their families was simply share a smile, a kiss, hugs, a
text, an email, a phone call (Here’s where he added, “a laugh when we fart.” A little comic relief. Most folks missed it, though). His point was that for the families left behind
after such a tragedy, all they had left was the memories, so create some good
ones. Speaking as the father of a fire
fighter myself, that, Uncle Tony, is some great advice.
The next speech was from Robert Bebee’s
step brother. He reiterated Uncle Tony’s
call for taking the time to connect with your loved ones. His most powerful thought, though, came from
the scripture he read out of the Book of Romans (5:1-5): Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character,
hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Bobby Gardner’s sister was most eloquent in her presentation as she shared funny memories and stories, and spoke of the fire fighting community as a fraternity, a family. Ann Sullivan’s mother was able to speak firmly as well, at least until she completed the text she read from, looked up, and said from the heart, “I’ll miss you my baby girl.”
The Houston fire chief spoke words of
thanks to everyone who had been so helpful to the families and the department. His words of thanksgiving continued to
include the four deceased firefighters for giving literally everything He
indicated his assurance that they now stand in heaven ready for their next
task, whatever that might be. He had the
honor of presenting American flags that had flown over the capitol to the
families.
Other speeches followed from the president
of the Houston fire fighters union and the general secretary of the
International Association of Fire Fighters.
Their speeches were preludes to presentation of the medal of honor to
each family. Next came words of
remembrance from each of the stations who worked with the honorees. The entire crowd stood to honor them as they
all came to the stage. Perhaps the most
impactful thing they said was quite simple. The question of promotions had come up and,
cutting through all the necessary red tape, the spokesman announced, “They’ve
already been promoted – by the Big Chief.
And He outranks everybody.”
Indeed.
The final bell is an old fire department
tradition. In Houston the call to
attention was seven bells in succession, followed by one bell. An honor guard member made that happen, both
in the building and at another location that we saw by way of the video
screen. Then each individual fire
fighter was recognized by a ring of the bell after his or her name was
called. The final farewell broadcast is
another long-standing tradition. A
broadcast went out to every station in Houston thanking the fire fighters for
their service and indicating that as the last call they will receive.
The somber mood continued as we could then
hear the far-away sounds of drums. The steady
beating grew louder and louder as the drums and bagpipes approached the center
of the gathering. A single bagpiper
played through Amazing Grace. Then the
entire group joined in and played it together.
And then the single piper played it yet again as he walked away from the
group, the final tribute to the fallen heroes.
Again, I was honored to be included in such
a moving send-off. Our ride home was hot
and we all dozed off and on (except our driver, of course). There was one brief moment of excitement,
though. Somewhere near Baybrook Mall
traffic slowed down considerably, not an unusual occurrence. But this time there was a reason. A small grass fire was blazing on one side of
the road. I wondered if we would stop to
help, but another truck had already responded, and police officers were on the
scene as well. And just as we arrived
back at the station, the active guys got a call to race off to another
fire. And so it ends … and begins. Life for the fire fighters … goes on.
Romans 5:1-8 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we
know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and
character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out
his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You
see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Father, thank you for the lessons learned
from the life and death of those four fire fighters. Comfort their families as they deal with the
individual funeral services yet to come.
Give strength to their fellow fire fighters as they continue every day
to follow their calling. Amen.
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